


Vacancy Signs

by Sneakyfox55



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Childhood Friends, Depression, Diners, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Established Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, I Don't Even Know, No Smut, No resets, Old Friends, Past Relationship(s), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader is named, Reader really needs a hug, Self-Esteem Issues, Sensitive subjects, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Toxic Relationship, Typical Undertale Racism, Verbal Abuse, for once, for someone special to me, i am impulse, kind of?, no rape but, non-con themes in ways, past friendships, please mind the tags, reader is a pushover, reader is female, reader is not Chara or Frisk, sans is a sweetheart, tagging is fun, toxic friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneakyfox55/pseuds/Sneakyfox55
Summary: You're used to being pushed around 24/7; at work, on your breaks, heck, even at home.Most definitely at home.So one day, when a monster shows up at your workplace, you're pleasantly surprised to find he's actually pretty nice, compared to a lot of your regular patrons....Or maybe you're just a pessimist.Either way, with your luck, it won't last long.
Relationships: Reader & Other(s), Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 31
Kudos: 134





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

> more Reader fanfic, more angst, let's go fellas
> 
> so i've been wanting to kinda start this fic for a few weeks now? just because i need something new to post even though i literally just posted another thing--and this story will probably have every single cliche you can think of and probably be wayy too similar to my other stories but i want to write it anyway just because
> 
> enjoy folks
> 
> (also, this particular story is kinda personal to me; i'm not going to go into detail, but i'm writing this story for somebody in real life. i want her to know how much i appreciate her, so this is for her.)

Around high-school, you kind of decided you'd never be like any of the popular kids, regardless of what you tried. At first, it didn't bother you all that much; you had decent friends. And the popular kids seemed like jerks anyway.

But, things... Change. And your mindset did when _he_ came along:

He was the typical jock, really. Cute, sporty, and a bit of a flirt with every girl he passed by in the hallway. And with a name like _Brian_ , well... Clearly he'd be the most popular jock of them all.

And he was.

But he wasn't _like_ them.

He was friendly. And sweet. The girls tripped over themselves to get to him but he had standards, despite his flirting. He was nice to everyone. When the other jocks pushed people around, he'd stand up for them. If their books got scattered on the floor, he'd pick them up and help them carry said books.

Honestly, he was... All you wanted to be.

So, when he asked _you_ out, of _all_ people, you found it near impossible to say no. He was pretty much the guy of your _dreams_ so you couldn't just pass up an offer like that!

And for the rest of high-school, things went smoothly.

You had an... Okay friend-group. Being with one of the most popular guys in school also meant you became popular yourself, but, that didn't always mean good things for you; for one, a lot of them were fakes, and hated your guts even if they wouldn't say it to your face. Any time your boyfriend wasn't looking they'd rear on you and jab you for all you were worth, making fun of your hair, or your nose, or your _eyes_ , _anything_ they could to at least get you to make a face. Others were simply jealous of you; not too stuck-up, but a bit closed-off to you anyway, avoiding you and leaving you out of things even if they included your boyfriend.

It was a bit tough, but you managed--even if you weren't quite suited for a life of fame and sociability. Even if you were one of the popular kids. Even if everyone avoided you. ~~Even if your true friends had left.~~

Brian made it worth it.

Things starting changing again, quickly after you two graduated high-school. He decided he wanted to go to college, and you wanted to get a tacky job somewhere that didn't require a degree. During that time, you argued a lot with him, fighting about things that probably didn't even matter in the moment.

He wanted you to move in with him. You said no, you weren't ready for that.

He accepted it. ~~For a while.~~ And you got a job at a shopping mart, for a while...

Until you got fired for helping out a monster.

Monsters hadn't been on the surface long then. You'd heard stories about them. They had difficulty fitting in with human culture, and you just wanted to help. Said monster had asked for you to direct him to the clothes section--something about getting some new boots for his cousin--and you just did what you thought was proper human etiquette; but apparently, the store you worked at had a strict "No Monsters" policy, and the monster had been in there "illegally." So that was the end of _that_ job. (The fact he kept repeating it was all his fault made things worse.) But honestly, it's probably for the best.

You'd rather not work with racists anyway.

Now, you're more or less stuck _here_ , in an old local motel-made-diner with a minimum wage of two dollars an hour. Well, it's nice enough. You get by ~~with his help~~. ~~~~

It's not everything you hoped for, but... Things change. You know that by this point.

...Heh.

Yeah.

_"Things change."_

So do people.

You _certainly_ know that by this point.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just realized i unintentionally made the plot a bit similar to Waitress
> 
> i swear, that was an accident


	2. Mess-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just another day at work for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if it's kinda late, here ya go

Five minutes. Just five minutes and you'll be on break; thankfully, the _one thing_ your boss has the mercy to give you these days.

Putting it that way sounds... Rather harsh. But even you have decided you've earned at least this. She's your boss and all, but...

There's a reason you're not getting paid enough, to put it simply.

You shut your mouth anyway. Better that than to complain. ~~Complaining will only make things worse.~~

You're quickly shaken out of your thoughts as said boss screams at you to hightail it one of the tables; you quickly plaster on your best smile and rush forward, stopping at a family with two kids and a toddler.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?" you chirp pleasantly, still smiling, even as one of the kids scowls openly at you.

"Yes, I'll have this, please," the middle-aged woman points at something in her menu. You nod and write in down, before continuing on with the rest of their orders, scribbling them down on your notepad almost robotically.

As you head back to the kitchen, you clumsily set your notepad down on a counter, listing the items off to one of your coworkers; she rushes back to inform the cooks and you slump in a seat, glancing at your watch and desperately hoping it's break-time:

11:29. Perfect--

"KATHERINE!"

You flinch as you hear your boss screeching at you again. You go to stand up but your coworker Maggie returns from the back, giving you a pointed look.

"I'll take care of it, hun," she says in her southern drawl, "you go eat now, 'kay?"

You thank her gratefully and head to the break room, stopping by to pick up your prepared lunch on the way.

By noon you're back at your schedule once more, making casual talk with strangers and dodging a few grabby teens trying to "get" your attention. Overall, it's going fine. Nothing unusual, nothing too grating. 

Until 12:30, when someone new walks through the door. Someone you recognize, and hurry to greet as soon as possible--which is quite a few minutes later.

"Hey, Napstablook!" you call to him, walking into the wait area, and ignoring the dirty looks from the other waitresses. The small ghost turns you, looking a bit startled, but relaxes upon seeing you.

"Oh, hi......"

"You come here for food?" you ask, a bit curiously. "I don't think ghosts can eat physical matter, right?"

He shakes his head. "Oh, no, we can't... I just came here to....... Uh..............."

"Visit?" you guess, randomly. To your surprise he nods shyly.

"Um, yeah...... And I kind of need some, um, advice..........."

"Oh! Well, I--"

" _What_. Is _that_?"

Your blood runs cold.

You whip around, meeting the gaze of another one of your coworkers: Percy. She's a bit shorter than you, but what she lacks in height, she makes up for with, ahem, _personality_.

And she's glaring at you pretty fiercely now.

You feign a smile and ask, "What's what?" She merely frowns deeper, and points behind you with a scraggly, accusatory finger.

" _That!_ That _thing!_ What is it doing here?!"

"You mean Napstablook?" You blink. "He's just here to say hi."

You can practically see the steam coming out of her ears as she stares at you, not far from hatefully. "Get it out. Now. Or I'm calling the police!"

"He's not doing anything--"

_"NOW!"_

You shrink back. A mixture of anger, shock, and fear tumbles in your chest, and somehow every single one of them roots you to your spot.

Your heart nearly stops as your boss marches in, hands on her hips as she assuages the scene in front of her with icy eyes. "What the Hell is going on here?"

" _Katherine_ ," Percy spits your name like venom, "let a _demon_ in!"

You glare at her, despite your growing anxiety. "He's not--"

"Out. Now."

And just like that, things break.

Tears threatening to spring out of your eyes, you turn to your friend, choking out a, "Come with me," before pushing the doors open and heading out, making sure he's following you.

You hear your boss's voice behind you, calling for you, for whatever reason, but you ignore her.

_Bastards._

* * *

After apologizing profusely to Napstablook and promising to talk to him after work, you begrudgingly head back inside, preparing yourself for the worst; that being a chewing-out from your boss.

But when you step in, she just spares you a stony glance, then turns back to her own task.

You can live with that.

"Kath, you alright?"

You spin around, facing a concerned Maggie with a smile, per usual.

"I'm fine," you assure. "Show me the food that needs to be delivered now, yeah?"

She frowns, though picks up a tray filled with plates, handing them to you while gesturing to a table near the front.

Still smiling, you go over to said table, just barely balancing the tray on your arm,

And you trip over something.

Next thing you know, you're flying through the air, and all the food is dumped into your lap.

Laughter rings out around you.

You stagger to your feet, shove the food off you, and stumble away without a word.


	3. When Everything's Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go to clean yourself off, then continue with your job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's so short AGAIN, i swear i'll post the next one soon too

You suppose you should be laughing right now, given the irony of everything today.

Right now, you're covered in scrambled eggs and coffee. You're pretty sure there's pieces of bacon stuck in your hair too.

So yeah, sure. You're laughing. 

On the inside.

And then, time itself seems to stop as your phone starts ringing.

With hands shaking more than you'd like them to, you pull the device out of your jeans, exhaling heavily as you answer:

"Hello?"

 _"Babe, you okay?"_ He sounds concerned. _"I've been trying to call you for minutes now."_

You just chuckle; you can't help yourself.

"Sure, if you discard the fact I'm covered in breakfast."

_"...What?"_

"Yeah, so I'll... Be home in a few more hours." You sigh, "Use they key, don't wait for me."

_"Wait, Kath--"_

You end the call.

* * *

By the time you've gotten most of the food stains out of your work clothing, dusk is upon everyone; normally you'd head back to your house by this time, but to make up for ~~your mess-up~~ lost time, you decide to stay and help Maggie with her shifts, as she works a bit later than you.

Percy ends up leaving around 6--thank Heavens--and people gradually stop coming in, on account of this place not being a "dinner" restaurant, priding itself more on breakfast and lunch. Between that time you get a couple more phone calls from your boyfriend, but not much is said; just asking what's up, how much later you'll be, stuff like that.

Overall, your evening is a lot better in comparison to the start of your day. And Napstablook actually does get to come in again, despite earlier events; of course, you apologize to him first thing.

"oh, no, it's fine...." he says to you in response, offering a timid but reassuring smile. "it's partially my bad, i shouldn't have come in that early......"

"No, no," you cut in, "it's not your fault, my coworkers are--" You want to say jerks, but really, not all of them are like that. "...You were just in the right place at the wrong time, I guess," you end up saying instead, hesitating, because that's... Kind of a weird explanation.

Still, things settle at that, and he's definitely not mad at you. So that's good.

...And you don't know why you're bothered right now.

You keep glancing at your phone, and picking at your nails, only occasionally stepping in now to help Maggie with something. Your boss comes by, reminds you two to lock up when you're done, and she makes her leave too. You thought that'd take some of the edge off.

It doesn't. You still have that tight feeling in your chest, and you have to resist the urge to scratch at your arms out of nervousness. You glance up to see Maggie staring at you in concern.

"What's wrong, hun?" she asks you gently. You shrug her off when she tries to put a hand on your shoulder.

"Nothing. I'm fine," you assure automatically.

After that, she leaves you alone.

~~You don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.~~

And you go to the back to check your phone again.

Nothing new.

Your anxiety gets a bit worse. Your fingers go your arms but you quickly stop them. Then you walk back out to the front. Maggie's packing up for the night, ready to head home.

"You sure you okay?" She eyes you worriedly. You nod, and grab your purse, grinning.

"Just hungry," you say brightly, trying to be ironic. She smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes, and she begins leading the way out, holding the door open for you.

You pause.

Your phone is vibrating.

You apologize and excuse yourself, heading to the back once more.

But it's just a missed call.

So you return, and Maggie's already gone. You swallow the lump in your throat, for what seems like the hundredth time, and make sure to light up the _NO_ part of the old _NO VACANCY_ sign as you head out and lock the door. 

You chuckle briefly, simply because that small bit of silly normality hits you for some reason...

...And you turn to see a skeleton standing in the middle of the parking lot in the dark, towering over Maggie.

You stop breathing.


	4. Be Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you encounter a friendly skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started working on this one too so here ya go, sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter and spooking ya'll! there's nothing to worry about i promise (for now) :)

You don't feel anything. You're numb.

And you're pretty sure you've stopped functioning entirely. 

You're not... You don't like judging a book by its cover, that's anything but what you try to do, but that's a living, _breathing_ skeleton over there, and how can you--

Hold on. You don't even know the context. You should just go over there and--

_No don't go over there, it will kill you--_

Monsters are nice ~~usually~~ don't jump to conclusions--

_But it probably snuck up on her, she--_

It's not an it!

Just... Breathe, It's fine, you're fine, Maggie's fine, it's all fine.

Be calm. Calm. _Stay calm._

Forcing your anxiety down (it doesn't help much, but) you take a shaky step forward, then another, until you're a good distance away from the diner. 

And you almost have another panic attack when they both notice you.

And take many steps backward when the skeleton starts towards you.

"HELLO, HUMAN KATHERINE!!"

_How does he know your name--_

"HUMAN MAGGIE HAS TOLD ME A LOT ABOUT YOU!"

...Wait. They know each other?

How... How did you not know that?

You merely stand and watch with a gaping mouth as Maggie comes up too, bearing a sheepish smile. "Uh, sorry 'bout this, hun," she says, "didn't mean to scare you."

"W-wait, wait, so," you stammer. "So you know him? He's your friend?"

"Yeeah... I was gonna tell you!" She holds up her hands quickly, as though to placate you, or something. "I swear I was, I just... Kinda forgot about it?"

"No, that's not... Why didn't you _need_ to keep it a secret?"

She spares a glance at the skeleton, rubbing her neck. "Uh, well..." she drawls. She pauses, then turns to him, mumbling, "Hey, uh, could I speak with my friend here for a bit? Just us?"

He blinks, then grins brightly at her, saying a quick, "SURE!" before darting back... Over to where they used to be? You're not sure if that was necessary but okay.

"I don't know if ya noticed," Maggie's voice quickly redirects your attention, "but... Folks 'round here don't really..."

"...Like them," you conclude, so softly, you figure she didn't hear. But she nods slowly.

"A lotta places don't." She crosses her arms, looking torn about something. "I just... I mean, I don't get it, why--that's how I met 'im, he--" He glances back to the skeleton again, something like pity in her gaze. "He's a friendly fella, if you know him that's just how he is, there's... There's no rhyme or reason for it."

You get an uneasy feeling. "For what?"

She sighs, heavily. For a second, you regret asking.

"You know how ya met that ghost Napstablook?" You nod. "It was like that, in a way. I was... I was here one day, the first one here as a matter of fact, and technically we weren't open yet, the sign wasn't lit up or anythin', so I thought nobody'd come yet. But, I heard someone knockin', or bangin' on the glass. I thought maybe he was just try'nta mess with me at first, but I went out and he was real talkative and nice. So I thought what the heck, why not let him be the first guy to come in for the day, so we went inside and he didn't harm nothin', y'know?"

She shuffles her feet, almost nervously. "An' I asked him why'd he come so early, 'cause I thought that was weird; he said something 'bout they wouldn't let him in the other day, and I didn' even know about that. But seriously, it's ridiculous, he's a real sweetheart."

You rub at your arms, unsure of what to say, and not entirely certain why she's telling you this. As though answering your unspoken question she adds, "Sorry for ramblin', honestly, you're the only one I can trust 'round her with this sort of stuff, it's stupid."

"...Yeah," you say, awkwardly.

Rolling her eyes goodnaturedly, Maggie just grins back at you, then turns to wave the skeleton back over. "Sorry 'bout that," she says as he runs up to you both again, "just rehashin' old stuff."

"OH, IT'S FINE, I UNDERSTAND!" He smiles brightly, meeting your gaze, and you begin to wonder why you were ever scared of him. "ANYWAY, IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU OFFICIALLY, HUMAN KATHERINE! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!"

He leans down to shake your hand, and you have a fleeting moment of panic before you take it. "U-um, it's nice to meet you too," you say with a ~~watery~~ convincing smile. He seems to buy it, thankfully. 

After that, not much else happens; Papyrus just kind of takes his leave, and you and Maggie say goodbye to him. On the way to your car, you check your phone again, and try not to actively avoid your friend's gaze upon finding no other calls.

"Katherine," she calls, standing in front of her truck a few feet away from you. You glance up, faking another smile, but it falters when she gives you a serious, prodding look. "Hun, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

You nod.

"If something's botherin' you, then..."

"Nothing's bothering me," you assure brightly, "just tired. Anyway, see you tomorrow, right?"

Her expression darkens, and your stomach drops.

"Yeah," she says, not in her usual cheery fashion. "See ya."

She opens her truck's door to get inside. You follow suit, trying to keep calm, and you start the car after checking again for missed calls.

There is none.

It's quiet.

And you feel anything but calm.


	5. Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't really planning to update this today but i kinda got inspiration last minute haha
> 
> nothing really special happens in this one, but,
> 
> read the tags for the warnings please; it's mostly just slightly implied here and very vague, but still

Being late isn't something you particularly like, not simply because it's inconvenient time-wise. You'd probably say it's on your list of things you hate most, actually. 

But you're not complaining. You try not to, at least.

Forcing that out of your mind you step up to the door and twist the knob; unsurprisingly, it's unlocked, and you push it open to step inside. You smile when he meets your gaze from the couch, a remote in his hand as he grins back.

"Hey, babe. What made you so late?"

You just shrug. "Boss made me stay longer," you lie.

"Really? You mentioned something about breakfast on the phone," Brian points out. Chuckling, you go over to take the remote from him.

"Never mind that, it's done and over with. Whatcha wanna do? We've got like an hour until you have to go."

"Well," he hums, and you have a feeling you know what he's going to say, "I was flipping through the channels and--"

"Oh no," you whine in a ~~mostly~~ joking tone, and he gives you a glare.

"Seriously, look at this." He gestures to the TV, and you realize he's watching some sort of singing competition; you know he likes them purely to make fun of people on there. Not really your cup of tea. "They hardly have this one on anymore, you know what I'm saying?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Wanna watch?"

"Um..." You fumble with the remote in your hand, contemplating, as he watches your movements. "...It's not really my thing."

"Aw, why not?"

"Just... Not my thing," you repeat, quieter this time, purposely avoiding his pleading gaze.

"C'mon, babe, just this once?"

You wonder how many times he's said "just this once."

You wonder how many times you've given in.

"Fine," you say anyway.

"See you tomorrow," you tell him from the doorway, smiling, and he leans over to kiss you goodnight. Then you close the door after him and head towards the kitchen, picking up some stray dishes and empty bottles on the way. You try to ignore the slight headache you're getting and finish cleaning said dishes until pretty late in the evening.

Before heading off to bed you take a quick shower, and hope that'll help your blooming headache; it does in the moment, but by the time you're out and getting dressed it's starting to come back full-fledged. You can only wish it'll be gone by tomorrow morning, and with nothing left to do, you hop into bed, not without pulling out your phone once more and scrolling through your friends' accounts online.

_guess who i met today? ;))_

You don't want to know who Clarissa met so you keep scrolling.

Upon finding nothing else new or of interest to you, you look at some missed texts of yours, and feel a tiny surge of happiness upon seeing one from Maggie:

_Heya Kat! Pap wants to know if you two can hang out some time, is that ok?_

You furrow your brows. The skeleton monster from before already wants to see you again? He seemed friendly enough, but...

 **_You:_** _Um, sure. tell him he can_

...Hmm.

_stop by the diner tomorrow morning i guess, should be only me and you then._

She answers not a minute later:

_Alrighty!!_

You sigh, going to put your phone by your bedside table when you hear another announcement of a text.

_**Brian:** Good night bby, sweet dreams. Love you <33_

You hesitate.

Then respond with a simple, _Good night!_

With that you put your phone away, and close your eyes, rubbing at your temples to alleviate at least some pain.

In the next moment you open your eyes, it's morning. And your headache isn't gone, much to your disappointment and the universe's apparent amusement.

Still, you get up, and get out your phone once more.

You respond to Brian's new text first.


	6. Not Asked For, But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some changes are made and you end up seeing another new face at work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, thank you so so much for over 1000 hits on this story too, you guys are awesome, truly haha
> 
> second of all, i'm really sorry about the lack of updates for this story; i know where i want to take it direction-wise but thinking up a way on how to get there kind of ruins my inspiration for it, if that makes sense. that's not to say i'm cancelling it at all--i still have a passion for it and whatnot. just writer woes i guess, haha
> 
> anyway! it's finally time to get this thing rolling for good
> 
> hope you like it despite everything! and again, thanks! <33

For breakfast you pop in a couple Eggo waffles and distractedly watch your neighbors outside—probably a bit creepy on your part, but you like being observant. It's just one of those things that comes natural to you, too, as... Odd as it sounds. You'd much rather watch from afar than engage in something.

...That's probably saved you a lot of trouble, in hindsight.

~~And put you in trouble on more than one account.~~

The toaster pops, pulling you out of your somewhat depressing thoughts, and you deposit the waffles on the counter to cool before eating them.

The diner isn't that far from your apartment, and it's a beautiful day today, so you decide to walk instead of taking your car. Your attention keeps drifting to your surroundings, only going back to your destination when you actually arrive. Right before you make your way into the diner, however, your phone buzzes.

You could just ignore it, but...

You fight off your ~~apprehensive~~ thoughts and pull the device out, huffing out a small sigh ~~of relief~~ when you read the name of the sender.

 **_Maggie:_ ** _Hey um change of plans??_

_I had to do something last minute so I can’t come right away._

**_You:_ ** _Oh okay, thanks for letting me know._

You hesitate.

 **_You:_ ** _is Papyrus still coming?_

 **_Maggie:_ ** _Far as I know._

_But really, I’m sorry about this hun. I’ll make it up to you, promise!_

**_You:_ ** _You don’t have to. But thanks!_

 **_Maggie:_ ** _❤❤!_

You smile wearily, blinking back sudden tears as you put your phone away again. You go to pull open the doors, ignoring the slight tremors in your hands.

You stand in the doorway, looking around the waiting area for a moment.

You pause, sucking in a breath.

Today’s going to be another long day.

...But you can handle it.

~~Right?~~

Okay, scratch that. You’re already nervous.

You’re not really _expecting_ Papyrus to come now, but, there’s no sign of him, not even a text or anything? Maybe he bailed because he found out Maggie wasn’t coming right away, since he knows her better, but wouldn’t he tell you, or something?

...No. No, no, this is fine. You can _still_ handle this.

...Even though he was supposed to be here like an _hour_ ago and you were supposed to _open the diner_ by now _and your boss is going to kill you_ but!

The other staff isn’t here yet. You still have time. ~~Probably. Hopefully.~~

Wringing your hands, you head towards the back again, trying to keep your mind occupied as you pass one of the booths on your way—

Wait.

You whirl around, your heart jumping to your throat, your gaze locked on one of the booths in question.

_Oh dear gods above is that a—_

_A body?!_

You yelp before you can cage it in yourself, even when you force yourself to calm down, and the corpse turns to look at you— _what the Hell—_

Oh.

You smack yourself with both of your hands involuntarily.

 _Ack,_ you’re an idiot.

“I’m so s-sorry,” you stumble out to him—a _skeleton monster_ , not a corpse. Geez.

The skeleton monster in question sits up in the booth to meet your gaze, seeming nonchalant despite you. There’s a casual air about him, and he doesn’t appear stand-offish to you... Which only confuses you, really.

How’d he get in here, anyway...?

Being the anti-social dingus you are you choose not to confront him about it and instead make your way over ~~hesitantly~~ , pulling out your pen and notepad meticulously. “Um, you’re... D-do you want anything, sir?”

His frozen grin appears amused as he looks at you. “got any ketchup?”

“...What?”

“ketchup.”

“...That’s... That’s all?”

He props his legs up on the table in front of him. You don’t comment on it. “yep.”

Okay, this has to be a joke. There’s no way he’s serious, right?

“you’re wonderin’ if i’m serious, aren’t you?”

You freeze; could he really tell that? How obvious are you being? ~~You thought you were good at hiding things.~~

“U-uh, well, I...”

You gulp, fumbling for a response.

In response of his own, the skeleton chuckles.

“’lright, ‘lright. i’m just messing with ya,” he goes on to assure you, and your sudden panic fades. Just a bit.

“O-okay,” you breathe. “Um...”

...Dang, you’re bad at this.

“Wh-what would you like? For, uh, real?” Did you really need to add that?

Barely sparing a glance at the menu, he stuffs a hand idly into the pocket on his hoodie. “burg would be nice.”

So.

A cheeseburger...?

“yeah, sure.”

?!

Can he read your mind or?!

“R-right! Be! Be right back!”

And with that you rush away, before you can embarrass yourself further. (Not that it makes a difference, you probably already did that by practically running out of there...)

Several minutes later, you return, setting the plate down in front of him without much thought.

“Here you go,” you say, silently thanking Heaven above there’s not a stammer in your voice this time. The skeleton gives you a lazy grin in response, pulling the plate closer to him.

“thanks.”

“You too,” you reply.

...

...

“Enjoy your meal?”

That... Didn’t help anything.

Again you’re about to hurry away to save your sorry skin but then you hear him call out softly, “hey.”

You turn back.

You fake a smile, somehow feigning professionalism once more. “Yees?” you croak out.

...Well, it was good while it lasted.

You jump slightly as you hear his next words:

“just wanted to say, uh. sorry ‘bout rattling you.”

“It’s fine?” ~~Crap, why did it have to come out as a question.~~

“shoulda at least knocked first,” he says, kicking his legs back up on the table like it’s a footrest. “but anyhow. you know my brother?”

You blink, confused as to how that fits in to all this.

But then he clarifies, “Papyrus,” and you let out a small “Oh.”

“Um, yeah, I do... He was supposed to come today, actually?”

“right. i was ‘sposed to tell you he couldn’t come. last minute thing he had to do.”

“Oh,” you repeat. You don’t know what else to say, other then... “Wh... Why are you here, then...?”

You say it as uncertainly as you can, for fear of offending him; but even still, he just winks at you.

“he sent me instead.”

“...Oh.”

“what, you disappointed?”

No? You’re just confused?

“Wh—who are you?” you blurt before you can help it, and his grin somehow tilts up further.

“sans. you?”

“...Katherine.”

Without warning, the monster removes his feet from the table and sits up, stretching. “welp,” he says, “it was nice to meet ya, but i should head out.”

“Oh,” you utter for the thousandth time, “thanks for coming.”

“no prob. same time same place?”

...

What?

“Um—”

He doesn’t wait for a response.

He just throws some gold(?) onto the table, snatches up the burger, and gives you a wave before...

Vanishing into thin air, with a small electronic-like “blip.”

Huh.

Despite yourself, you laugh a bit, running your fingers through your hair.

What a weird guy.

...You kind of hope he comes back.


	7. Days Like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, things aren't so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h o w d y , it's been a hot minute since i've updated this one so um,
> 
> hope you like it! c':
> 
> (also, slight TWs for the second-half of this one--look at tags,)

The rest of the day moves pretty slowly after your odd encounter with the skeleton. ~~You’re sure you’ve already forgotten his name—typical of you.~~ The rest of your coworkers ignore you when they arrive (Percy brashly so) but, as she’d inadvertently promised, Maggie does show up some time after them. Even your patrons are fine, few as they are—they regard you politely, others just a bit more outgoing, but nothing too obnoxious.

It’s the middle of the week, though; Wednesday, to be exact, so you know not to bank on that alone. It’ll change quickly.

...Still.

It... Isn’t bad.

In fact, halfway through your shift you take some food to a nice old lady, who looks to be in her sixties—and she tips you higher than she technically should.

When you object, she just smiles and says, “You need it more than I do, dearie.”

You have no idea where that sudden kindness came from.

~~Likely just sympathy. You look like a wreck.~~

~~...It must be more obvious these days.~~

Overall, however, you want to say the highlight of it all is the lack of phone calls you receive. ...Of course, that will bring up its own problem later on, but it’s nice not to worry about it for most of your afternoon.

...And...

You’re not screwing up that much, either.

So far, you’d say this is a good day.

During your lunchbreak, Maggie sits with you in the breakroom, helping herself to some spaghetti she’d packed. In silence you feast on your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the only thing you had time to make this morning.

And, sure enough, she’s eyeing you right now as though you’ve taken to eating the air itself. “Don’t tell me that’s all you have,” she says after swallowing a meatball, pausing to address the elephant in the room.

You’re done with your sandwich by this point, so you give her an easy smile and excuse, “Peanut butter’s got protein. It’s fine.”

She just deadpans at you.

Your smile weakens.

“Really,” you reinforce anyway, “a few hours isn’t going to kill me, Maggie.”

“It won’t,” she agrees.

She stabs her fork into another meatball.

“I will.”

“Hardy-har.”

“ _Seriously_ , hun—let me give you something.” Before you can object, she pushes her thermos over to you: “There’s some cheese curls in here if you want them.”

“But—”

“You know I don’t like ‘em anyway.”

You try to argue. You really do; but between her stern stare and your floundering, it’s pretty obvious you end up taking the bag of curls from her.

You still don’t like relying on others for help, however—so you make a note to yourself about it. Maybe you can return the favor later. For now...

“Thanks,” you say quietly, smiling at her gratefully. She returns it, and this time, you two engage in casual conversation.

It’s... Nice.

You learn a little more about Papyrus, actually; how he’s the one that made her the spaghetti in the first place, and according to him and Sans (whose name you actually do remember), it’s a lot better than it used to be— _way_ more than just somewhat edible. (You decide not to ask about that part.) Maggie seconds this, and says she’d offer you some but her skeleton friend had only made so much of it.

You know you’ll have to start back on your shift soon, and deal with whatever else comes today, but right now you find you aren’t really worried. Maybe the patrons will be nice again. Maybe you’ll somehow continue this streak of not messing up; maybe, everything isn’t as bad right now.

“Uh, Kat? Your phone’s ringin’.”

You jump, whether by her voice or said ringing, you’re not sure.

In any case, you manage to get it from your pockets and pick it up with only little fumbling. “Hello?”

_“Hey, you off yet or what?”_

You realize you forgot to read the caller ID before answering.

Your heart sinks.

“...No?” you reply slowly, almost cautiously. “You _know_ I get off at eight, it’s not even past noon y—”

_“Yeah, yeah, anyway—I was hoping you’d get off early, we need to talk about something.”_

Oh. Great.

“Okay, well. What about?”

_“Y’know, just... Stuff.”_

...

That’s _so_ damn vague. Is he _trying_ to get on your nerves?

“Can you... Give me a heads-up on what it _is_?” you inquire. “Is it about work, or...”

_“It’s just... I don’t know. Stuff,”_ he repeats, very helpfully. _“I’ll tell you when you get home.”_

“Brian—”

_“Love you, bye.”_

He hangs up on you.

...

So much for an uneventful day, huh?

~~Or a good one, for that matter.~~

You do end up leaving work early, and your boss lets you, on account of your promising that you’ll work overtime tomorrow. You try not to run your way home but it feels like you do—and even then, it feels like you’re still late, somehow.

Sure enough, Brian is already in your apartment; but instead of watching TV this time, he’s just idly sitting the couch, nursing a glass of something you don’t care to know.

As you walk in the door, his gaze snaps to you, mouth pulled taut in a frown.

“Hey. Sorry to pull you out of work, babe.”

“It’s fine,” you assure.

Without saying anything more, you walk over and join him on the couch. Immediately he loops an arm around you, tugging you closer to his side.

“...So,” you venture after a moment, “what is it?”

“They cut my pay again.”

It’s blunt—no hesitance at all.

You blink, still taking it in.

“Why?”

“Some asshole talked to corporate,” he mutters, returning to his vague ways. “Whatever.”

“...Oh.”

It’s all you can utter, then. You stare at the carpet in front of you, silent.

“It sucks,” your boyfriend goes on, “I barely have enough to pay off my rent as is, let alone buy food.”

“Oh,” you say again.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s... It’s fine.”

You feel heavy.

You know you barely have enough to get by yourself—you really shouldn’t.

~~Not _again_.~~

But...

“How much do you need?”

Brian releases his arm from you, letting out a small sigh. “I don’t know, maybe... Maybe fifteen for now? I don’t know.”

You sigh, and rise to your feet.

“I’ve got some twenties. Hold on.”

He doesn’t stop you.

*

That night, as you lie awake in bed, you pride yourself on stressing for hours about nothing and everything. You’d been saving up that money, and you’d been working hard for some of it. And now...

. . .

Well.

On the bright side, maybe your boss will see how pathetic your situation is and take pity on you.

...Maybe.

...

. . .

That’s for tomorrow-you to worry about, though.

Today, you’re really tired.


End file.
